12 Employee Thank You Card Message Examples

Have you ever wanted to give employees some personalized appreciation without spending any money? You’re in luck—enter thank you notes for employees! These are the perfect method for recognizing an employee’s specific achievements or contributions, and they’re basically free.

But hold on. How many of you have ever agonized over writing a personal message in a wedding reception book, a year book, birthday card, or anything like that? It can be hard to think of something meaningful and genuine, which makes it tempting to write something generic or bland.

Don’t give in! 75% of employees say that meaningful recognition positively impacts their engagement and their desire to stay—and 31% of employees actually prefer written notes of appreciation.

To satisfy those employees, here is everything you need to know to write personalized, genuine, and impactful notes of appreciation for employees.

Best Practices for Writing Employee Thank You Notes

Take a look at some of the best tips for writing notes that will show employees you really care.

1. Address Them By Name

This one seems simple, but starting the note by addressing the employee by their name, or a preferred nickname, makes the note more personal. It personalizes the note and shows that you’re not giving them a cookie-cutter message that goes to everyone.

2. Include Specific Details

What are you recognizing the employee for? Their contributions? Their attitude? Their efforts? Make sure to include these details and express gratitude for the impact they had on you, the team, or the company.

3. Be Sincere

Employees are experts at noticing disingenuous appreciation—if the note feels bland, hurried, or impersonal, it won’t have the effect you hope it does. Use language that conveys your sincerity in a genuine way.

4. Decide on the Level of Formality

Certain thank you card topics are great for fun messages of appreciation. Other topics, such as service anniversaries or recognizing an employee overcoming a challenge, may be better suited to formal messages of gratitude. Base your decision on each employee and what you think they’d appreciate.

12 Employee Thank You Card Message Examples/Templates

What do you write in employee thank you cards? While it should be personalized for each card, here are some thank you card message examples for different circumstances.

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1. Recognize an employee for a success:

“Hi [Name], I wanted to thank you for the hard work you put into [project] recently. I know I can always trust you to put great effort in, and it was no different for [project.]”

2. Show appreciation for consistency:

“Thank you, [Name], for your consistent performance and dedication to your role. Your unwavering quality is a pillar of our team, especially [specific example.]”

3. Thank them for collaborating:

“[Name,} you make the team better with your great attitude and willingness to work together. During [specific example,] you really elevated the team, and I appreciate your invaluable attitude.”

4. Recognize hard work:

“I want you to know, [Name], that your efforts and hard work don’t go unnoticed. You're a role model for the team, and your dedication to excellence influences everyone around you to do better. Just the other day, I noticed [specific example.] Thank you for all you do.”

‍5. Show gratitude for going above and beyond:

“I’ve noticed that no matter how high my expectations are for your work, [Name], you always manage to exceed them. Your extra effort in [specific task] is just one example of your dedication to exceptional work, and you need to know that I appreciate your extra effort.”

6. Recognize a challenge overcome:

“[Name,] I know that facing the challenges of [specific challenge] wasn’t easy for you, and your efforts to learn, grow, and overcome have truly inspired me. Your professionalism and resilience are second to none.”

7. Show appreciation for leading:

“Leadership isn’t easy, but the way you’ve guided your team has made it look simple. Your efforts to lead your team through [specific event] has been key in our recent success, and we appreciate your always guiding us toward excellence.”

8. Say thank you for a positive attitude:

“Death, taxes, and your good attitude are the only constants in life, and I’m endlessly grateful for that third one! You make work more enjoyable for me and everyone else on the team, and you help us tackle work and challenges with optimism.”

9. Service anniversary message:

“I can’t believe it’s already been [number of years] since you joined our team! We’ve loved having your personality, experience, and sense of humor at the company, and the work you’ve provided in this time has exceeded our expectations. One thing I’ll always remember is [personal experience.] Thank you, [Name], for all you’ve done, and congrats on your work anniversary!”

10. Recognizing someone who exemplifies company values:

“Our company values are just words on a wall until people like you exemplify them—thank you, [Name], for your example of [core value.] You’ve helped make our culture thrive and you embody the type of employee we love having you with us.”

11. Appreciate an employee for volunteering:

“Thank you, [Name,] for volunteering for [specific task/event]. Your willingness to go outside your standard responsibilities is noticed and very much appreciated. Going above and beyond like you do truly showcases your professionalism and diligence.”

12. Show gratitude for a good year:

“Dear [Name,]

As we come to the end of the year, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for all that you’ve done to help our team and the company achieve our goals. Your [specific contributions] have been instrumental in [results seen,] and I couldn’t be happier to have you on our team. Have a wonderful holiday season, and I look forward to another great year with you.”

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Creative Ideas for Employee Thank You Cards

Are standard cards good enough for employees? Typically, yes, a store-bought card will be good enough. After all, the message inside is what’s most important. However, here are some ways to customize thank you cards for employees to make them a little more unique:

• DIY cards. Building your own cards gives you the perfect opportunity to personalize them even more. Use stamps, stickers, stencils, or just colored pencils to create a card that really fits the occasion and the recipient.
• Company branded cards. With custom branded cards, you can tie the gratitude into a company experience that builds culture and brand loyalty.
• AwardCodes inside the cards. Include small gifts in the card, such as gift cards or AwardCodes. These are cards with QR codes on them that give recipients points when they scan it that they can use to buy whatever they want.
• Scavenger hunt hints. Make employee thank you notes a game to incentivize more people to write them. Have managers add pre-made hints for a scavenger hunt around the office.

Simple, hand-written cards are perfect just the way they are. But hopefully these ideas will help you find a way to customize your cards to fit your culture.

Other Methods of Employee Appreciation

If you want to offer more than thank you cards for employee appreciation, there are great ways to build upon this strong, hand-written foundation. Ideas include:

• Public shoutouts. Shout out employee contributions in a team or company meeting (if they’re okay with that). Compliment them and express your appreciation for all to hear.
• Social media shoutouts. If employees don’t want to be talked about in front of the company, shout them out on company social profiles instead.
• Extra time off. More PTO is never a bad thing, especially as you encourage them to take it.
• Small gifts. Add small gifts to a card to complete the recognition package. Gift cards, a favorite snack, or some swag or good ideas. The most important thing is to choose something that each employee will actually enjoy.
• A recognition on the platform. If you have a recognition platform like Awardco, you can easily send a digital note from anywhere at any time. 

Build a Culture of Appreciation

Whether you set up an employee thank you card station for managers to use or you start recognizing employees during meetings, the key is to build a culture where people feel noticed, cared for, and valued. We hope this post has helped inspire you to write notes and show your people more gratitude.